Reagan stands tall in Berlin: U.S. embassy unveils statue marking the fall of the wall

Ronald Reagan is once again standing tall in Berlin — and on a permanent basis.

“On November 8, 2019, to commemorate all that President Reagan did to bring peace and freedom to people around the word, the United States Embassy in Berlin, Germany unveiled a statue of Ronald Reagan on the embassy’s rooftop terrace, overlooking the Brandenburg Gate and the exact spot President Reagan stood when he boldly declared, ‘General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!’” the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute said Thursday in a formal announcement.

The dedication was held at 4:30 p.m. Berlin time; the statue was officially unveiled by Secretary of State Michael Pompeo, U.S. Ambassador to Berlin Richard Grenell, and Frederick J. Ryan Jr., chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Reagan foundation.

The organization also recalled the history leading up to the iconic speech.

“In his speech at the Brandenburg Gate on June 12, 1987, Reagan spoke with clarity, saying, ‘As I looked out a moment ago from the Reichstag, that embodiment of German unity, I noticed words crudely spray-painted upon the wall, perhaps by a young Berliner, this wall will fall. Beliefs become reality.”

The 40th president had a prediction.

“Yes, across Europe, this wall will fall. For it cannot withstand faith, it cannot withstand truth. The wall cannot withstand freedom,” Reagan noted at the time.

“And, just a few months after leaving the White House, President Reagan’s hopes became reality when, on November 9, 1991, the gate opened and the wall came down,” the foundation said.